# Alan Rickman
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 15, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154 "2004-04-15T12:47:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@johnnyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnnyboy)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/1 "2004-04-15T12:47:05Z")
I like Rickman. But the way the film industry works, there is a depressing tendency for him to get type cast as comic Grand Guignol villains. As such, he is always equal to himself, (unforgettable as the Sheriff of Nottingham or the sleazy political spinmaster in BOB ROBERTS) but underused IMHO. He is capable of so many more dimensions, and is never so good as when he is cast against type.
My favorite performance by him though is as the revenant cellist in Anthony Minghella’s TRULY MADLY DEEPLY, we have a delightfully nuanced comic portrayal, seductive enough
to get called back from the dead by the grief of his distraught widow, but also sufficiently annoying, flimsy and full of ticks, as to teach her to dispense with his memory and get on with her life.
So what do you guys think, do you think there’s more to him than just a villain?
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/2 "2004-04-15T12:54:45Z")
I don’t care what he does. If they made a film of him reading aloud from the phone book, I would be first in line to buy a ticket. I would then stare mesmerized at the screen with my mouth hanging slightly open…
That said, I haven’t seen everything he’s done. I believe I caught a part of Truly, Madly, Deeply long ago, but wasn’t able to watch it because it was a steaming pile of crap. (That was before my eyes were opened to Alan’s full glories.) Yet the steaming pile of crap factor didn’t keep me from watching Blow Dry. _shudder_
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/3 "2004-04-15T12:58:08Z")
Many of my favorite Alan Rickman roles are the non-villan ones: the dead cellist in _Truly, Madly, Deeply_, the actor playing the Spock-like role in _Galaxy Quest_, and particularly Col. Brandon in _Sense and Sensibility_. He and Emma Thompson have such wonderful chemisty in this last film that, for once, I don’t think I would have minded much if they’d changed the ending of the story and Elinor had married the Colonel instead of Marianne. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/4 "2004-04-15T13:00:20Z")
I think of Rickman primarily as the angel Metatron of “Dogma.”
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### Author:  [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/5 "2004-04-15T13:02:34Z")
Sure, he’s able to play non-villains.
But that doesn’t stop me from being disappointed that he wasn’t cast as the villain Denethor in _Lord of the Rings_. And I’d like to see him do a Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare film, as a villain. (You know, like _Richard II._)
Where they really need him is in the Bond franchise. Yes as a villain, but he’d also make a fine M.
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### Author:  [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/6 "2004-04-15T13:04:53Z")
He will forever be Severus Snape to me…a conflicted villain, who wants to do what’s right, but can’t get over his hatred for Harry Potter or rather, Harry’s father.
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### Author:  [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/7 "2004-04-15T13:06:37Z")
By Grapthar’s Hammer… what a post thread.
Don’t forget starring as the Angel Metatron, the Voice of God…
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### Author:  [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/8 "2004-04-15T13:09:00Z")
A guy on Dead Ringers (a British skit comedy show) does a perfect Alan Rickman imitation. They did a skit with three scenes of Alan Rickman shot from exactly the same angle with exactly the same acting:
“I’ll get you, Robin Hood.”
“I’ll get you, John McClane.”
“I’ll get you, Harry Potter.”
Then the voiceover said, “Alan Rickman: Token British baddie in Hollywood films.”
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### Author:  [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/9 "2004-04-15T13:40:49Z")
I rarely found Alan Rickman anything but annoying as a villain–though I guess that was how you were supposed to feel! (Of course, the sheriff in _Robin Hood_ was funny sometimes.) But after I saw him in _Sense and Sensibility_…WOW!! I was floored by his portrayal of the gentle Col. Brandon. It was the first movie I’d ever seen him in that he wasn’t playing a sarcastic jerk!
Heck, I even liked the movie _Blow Dry_! 😃
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/10 "2004-04-15T15:40:21Z")
There’s a movie he was in called _January Man_ with Kevin Kline and Mary Elizabeth Mastarantonio where he played a subdued gay guy named Ed. For some reason I thought it hysterical to see the Sherriff of Nottingham play a gay guy.
[IMDB Link](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097613/)
Incidentally, Rickman has one of my favorite movie lines of all time.
> [@](#):
>
> “Locksley, I gonna cut your heart out with a spoon!”
>
> _Later…_
>
> “Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe or a…”
> “Because it’s dull, you twit! It’ll hurt more!”
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### Author:  [@Mr\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Jim)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/11 "2004-04-15T15:57:41Z")
_drooooool_
I know more than a few young women that lust after this 58 yr oldmore than 2 (even 3!) times their age.
My favourite is Galaxy Quest though S&S is a close second.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/12 "2004-04-15T16:18:31Z")
Alan Rickman is one of my favoritest actors of all time. I’d watch a Jim Carrey movie, or even Adam Sandler or Robin Williams, if Rickman were in it.
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### Author:  [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/13 "2004-04-15T16:51:09Z")
> [@RTA](#):
>
> Sure, he’s able to play non-villains.
>
> But that doesn’t stop me from being disappointed that he wasn’t cast as the villain Denethor in _Lord of the Rings_. And I’d like to see him do a Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare film, as a villain. (You know, like _Richard II._)
Or Iago. That would be dead perfect casting. I think, if they did that and had the right actor to play Othello, that I would actually stand in line for tickets days in advance like people did for _Star Wars_ and what have you.
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### Author:  [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/14 "2004-04-15T16:54:50Z")
I love Alan Rickman. He’s one of those actors that make a movie or scene worth watching just by being in it. I think _Galaxy Quest_ has to be my favorite role of his for 2 scenes: 1. The one in the beginning where he has his little freakout and 2. When he finally gets mad towards the end.
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### Author:  [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/15 "2004-04-15T17:00:59Z")
Alan Rickman kicks ass. He was one of the best things in the decidedly mediocre _Love, Actually_ this past holiday season. And _Closet Land_ is a pretty good movie (though extremely intense and difficult to sit through) that shows what Rickman can do with a villainous character who isn’t a Hollywood cartoon.
For the record, he began his journey to prominence by playing Valmont in the London production of _Les Liaisons Dangereuses_ (which I’ve probably misspelled), a role that went to John Malkovich when they adapted it for the screen. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Malkovich, and I think he does fascinating things with a part in which you wouldn’t normally expect him to be cast.
But I’d give _real money_ to see what Rickman did with it. Oh yeah baby.
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### Author:  [@SeGate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeGate)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/16 "2004-04-15T17:08:37Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#):
>
> Incidentally, Rickman has one of my favorite movie lines of all time.
Don’t forget my other favorite:
> [@](#):
>
> …And no more merciful beheadings!
I love his uber-villainness in _Robin Hood_, but I adore him in _Sense and Sensability_. He is so steadfast and good.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/17 "2004-04-15T19:07:54Z")
> [@SeGate](#):
>
> Don’t forget my other favorite:
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > …And no more merciful beheadings!
“And call off Christmas!” 😉
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### Author:  [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/18 "2004-04-15T19:32:10Z")
In “The Barchester Chronicles” as a **Mister Slope** , he was a perfect toady. Loved him since then in anything.
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### Author:  [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/19 "2004-04-15T20:12:25Z")
And, while it’s so obvious that it’s hardly worth mentioning, his performance is a large part of why **Die Hard** is generally considered to be a near-perfect action movie.
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### Author:  [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman/240154/20 "2004-04-15T20:36:06Z")
Does it mean he’s not a good villian if I always end up rooting for his villian character? As for Professor Snape, although not exactly a villian, I think he’s just misunderstood and I’d like to put him in a bubble bath and give him a nice shampoo. Er … did I mention I have the flu and I may not be quite all there right now?
Um … so, yeah, he’s a great actor.
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